Kazakhstan Replaces Russian Turbines With Chinese Equipment for Ekibastuz Power Plant No. 2

Kazakhstan has revised the plan for building the third power unit at Ekibastuz State District Power Station-2 and dropped Russian turbines and generators from the project. Chinese company Harbin Electric International will now supply the equipment, Orda.kz reports.

Energy analyst Nurlan Zhumagulov said on his Telegram channel that the decision significantly reduced the cost of the project. Deputy Energy Minister Sungat Yesimkhanov said the cost of building the new power unit fell from 650 billion tenge to less than 400 billion tenge. The savings could exceed 250 billion tenge, or about 500 million dollars.

In 2024, the authorities were considering the opposite approach. At that time, they planned to use Russian technology and equipment to expand Ekibastuz State District Power Station-2.

Also last year, a court concluded a case involving the alleged theft of nearly 973 million tenge during projects at GRES-2. Investigators said a contractor had received money for equipment that was never delivered. One defendant was found guilty of fraud but was released from liability because the statute of limitations had expired. The other defendants were acquitted due to the absence of a crime.

Original author: Ruslan Loginov

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